Latest news with #PaulLawrie
Press and Journal
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Press and Journal
Compete with golf's legends at Staysure PGA Seniors Championship
If you're a golfer then you'll have dreamed of striding the fairways with your heroes. Stroking home a nerve-jangling five-footer under the approving gaze of a major winner, or watching a Ryder Cup legend smile as your drive splits the fairway is truly a bucket-list experience. Some Press and Journal online content is funded by outside parties. The revenue from this helps to sustain our independent news gathering. You will always know if you are reading paid-for material as it will be clearly labelled as 'Partnership' on the site and on social media channels. This can take two different forms. This means the content has been paid for and produced by the named advertiser. This means the content has been paid for and approved by the named advertiser but written and edited by our own commercial content team. At this year's Staysure PGA Seniors Championship from July 31 to August 3 that dream can become reality. The event offers packages that not only let you tee it up with the stars, but also compete alongside them, relax in the same lounge as them, practise where they practise and dine where they dine. It's a package that goes far beyond the normal pro-am experience or corporate hospitality deal. Here you won't just watch from a box – you'll be part of the action with names such as tournament host Colin Montgomerie and former Open winner Paul Lawrie. Neither is it just golfing legends that you'll get to rub shoulders with. You will also be taking your place alongside famous faces from sport and TV as you enjoy the ultimate inside the ropes experience. All that and it takes place at one of the world's best golf courses in Trump International Aberdeen – a modern links masterpiece that rolls through the spectacular dunes on Scotland's northeast coast. Tempted? You should be. So, what exactly does it entail. There are three playing packages available – the Championship Pro Am, Celebrity Pro Am and The Legends Experience. In this fantastic package you'll tee it up with two other amateurs alongside a Legends Tour player for 18 holes on the Tuesday before the event. On top of that you can use the same practice facilities as the Legends to warm up and have breakfast beside them in the players lounge. You'll also get a bespoke Legends Tour Gift bag, along with post-round hospitality and a prize giving for £1,200 per person or £3,500 per team. An exceptional opportunity where you are part of the professional tournament itself, this truly is one of the finest amateur experiences in sport. Lucky participants will enjoy four days of golf, starting with Wednesday's Celebrity Pro-Am. Then the real fun starts as you play 36 holes alongside two Legends in the tournament proper. You'll get to see exactly what it is to be a golfing star as you play in front of TV cameras and crowds, while also getting access to the players' lounge, locker room and practice facilities. Those who make the cut will compete on the fourth day to be named top amateur. You'll be put up in luxury accommodation and have the chance to hone your skills with a clinic from the Legends. There will also be world-class hospitality, VIP functions and evenings hosted by Ryder Cup Legends. Crossing The Legends Experience off your bucket list costs £12,000. This immensely popular package described by former Premiership footballer Robbie Fowler as 'an incredible experience' is already sold out and no wonder. Lucky participants will be playing a round alongside a star of sport, TV or media as well as a Legend on Wednesday July 30. They will also get access to all tournament facilities, as well as pre and post-round hospitality and a tournament branded gift pack for £2,500 (including VAT). You just have to look at the packages to know this is something that will create memories for a lifetime. But don't just take our word for it. Here's what former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley had to say. 'It means a lot to spend time with passionate golf fans, sharing my thoughts and knowledge on leadership, performance and creating a winning team culture based on a player and as a victorious Ryder Cup captain.'
Scotsman
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Why Scots are facing bigger challenge on 2025 Tartan Pro Tour
More than 30 English players teeing up in circuit's season-opener at Montrose Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It may have been created to provide playing opportunities for Scottish-based professionals and, in fairness, that essentially remains the main goal for Paul Lawrie and his team. But both the success and growth of the Tartan Pro Tour is there for all to see as the circuit heads into its sixth season, which starts on Wednesday with the Montrose Links Masters presented by Montrose Port Authority. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Having initially been 72 when the circuit was launched by the 1999 Open champion during the Covid pandemic, the fields for this year are now up to a maximum of 99 players. Graeme Robertson and Same Locke secured cards for the Challenge Tour, which has since been rebranded as the Hotel Planner Tour, through being the top two players on last year's Tartan Pro Tour Order of Merit | Tartan Pro Tour For the season-opener on the Angus coast, more than 30 are flying the English flag while the line up also includes players from Ireland and Wales, as well as Canada, Korea, New Zealand and the US. 'There's definitely been an upsurge in interest from players from further afield,' admitted Michael MacDougall, the circuit's tournament director, who has worked closely with Lawrie on a number of exciting new projects and initiatives. That, of course, partly stems from the fact that the Tartan Pro Tour is now an official Satellite Tour, having been upgraded for this year from a Feeder Tour, for the Hotel Planner Tour, which will be better known by many as the Challenge Tour. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It means that any player who wins three times on the Tartan Pro Tour in the same season will secure automatic promotion to the Hotel Planner Tour and, if that had been in place last year, Sam Locke would have earned a step up before securing one of two 2025 cards up for grabs through the season-long Order of Merit along with Graeme Robertson. Another collection of top courses on schedule 'The fact we're now a Satellite Tour plus the incentives around the Hotel Planner Tour, including the chance to secure direct access to the second stage of the DP World Tour Qualifying School, and prize funds of circa £27,500 has definitely generated more hype for this season, which is great,' added MacDougall. Players will once again be competing on a collection of top courses, with events also taking place at Blairgowrie, Portlethen, Newmachar, Cardrona, Downfield, Leven Links, Musselburgh, Spey Valley, St Andrews, Gleneagles, Duddingston and Trump International Golf Links. Equally impressive once again is the backing secured by Lawrie through his Five Star Sports Agency from Montrose Port Authority, Petrasco, Entier, Boskalis, Martin Gilbert, Piper Sandler, The MacKay Clinic, Alistair Brown International, Macdonald Hotels, Fugro, Insights, Barr Demolition and Gym Rental Company. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Nick McCarthy, winner of the recent Farmfoods Aberdeen Golf Links Pro-Am, is part of a strong English contingent in the Tartan Pro Tour season-opener at Montrose this week | Tartan Pro Tour Robertson, last year's Order of Merit winner and coming off a top-20 finish in the Challenge de España in just his third start as a Hotel Planner Tour card holder, heads the strong field at Montrose. His rivals include Englishman Nick McCarthy, who produced an impressive performance to land the recent Aberdeen Golf Links Pro-Am at Royal Aberdeen, Cruden Bay and Trump International Golf Links, as well as Calum Fyfe, who has made four cuts in his six starts on the Hotel Planner Tour this season. Among those bidding to add to previous wins on the circuit are Greg Dalziel, Darren Howie, Bradley Neil, Seb Sandelin, John Henry and Rory Franssen while James Morgan and Matthew Wilson are both teeing up as rookie professionals after leaving the amateur ranks at the end of last season.
